Morongo Golf Club at Tukwet, Legends Golf Course Review

Calimesa, CA75.9 rating; 141 slope

Morongo Golf Club at Tukwet, Legends Course Overview: The better of the two golf courses at the Morongo Casino's Golf Club facility is very difficult. However, the golf holes are characterized by great bunkering and very difficult green complexes that never truly seem unfair. While most golfers will not attempt the back tees, the shorter, more realistic tee boxes still provide plenty of punch. The course weaves its way around the foothills of Calimesa with very few holes that run side-by-side. The front side is amazing and the backside loses luster, but is still difficult. On a golf course full of good holes, the best are reviewed below:

Morongo Golf Club, Legends CourseHole 1: This par four is not long, and is slightly downhill. However, shaping a shot right of the large bunker but left of the junk to the right is key to a good start to the round.

Morongo Golf Club, Legends CourseHole 2: This par five starts from an elevated tee box. The only real chance of going for the green in two is to crush a drive to a small ribbon of fairway (it tightens at the 300 yard mark) and then hit a blind shot over a hill. So, for the less than super-human golfer, the normal plan will be to hit the fairway and then cross over the stream on the left to the fairway section over there. Then the golfer must cross back over the river (behind the aforementioned hill) to an elevated green fronted by huge, deep bunkers. The second shot is the key because an easy approach will only be facilitated by a second shot that hugs the creek. Hitting mid or long iron to this green will make par a difficult proposition as, besides the bunkers, the green has multi-tiers and the surrounding area is fraught with topographical danger. (not pictured)

Morongo Golf Club, Legends CourseHole 4: This short par 3 places the golfer on one side of a deep canyon with the goal of hitting the shallow, and severely sloped green on the other side. Shot distance is everything as short (in the canyon) or long (in the bunkers with a green running away from you) spells disaster.

Morongo Golf Club, Legends CourseHole 5: This great par four winds its way down a canyon and doglegs to the right to the green. At 500+ yards from the tips, it is a challenge, but the downhill nature of the hole will make long drives quite possible. The drive is best placed down the right side, which will shorten the hole as long as it doesn’t go too far right on the hill or behind some trees. The bunkers surrounding the green are also not inviting so a nice up and down from the front edge is not a bad plan.

Morongo Golf Club, Legends CourseHole 7 (right): The best hole on the course is another extremely long par four. This one is a dogleg left that requires the golfer to put their drive in the center. Anything too far right will leave a very long approach over an enormous bunker, but the ball that goes too far left will have to contend with a pesky tree. The green is well guarded and strongly sloped.

Morongo Golf Club, Legends CourseHole 8 (below): This slightly uphill par three features a lake short of the green and a series of bunkers to the left that should be avoided as well.

Morongo Golf Club, Legends CourseHole 18: The final hole of the day feels a little out of place on this otherwise natural feeling course. However, it is a strong challenge and after a drive that must not go left of the fairway, the approach is to a green sandwiched between water short / right and bunkers and hillside long and left.